My draft.
I am a new resident of Baker City. I am impressed by the goals of NOB and would like to do what I can to help their efforts. I’m a deeply rooted Oregonian, whose parent’s families both came to Oregon in 1847 via different routes and settled in different areas. I think you may find my Visual Storytelling style interesting. I like exploring new areas and digitally capturing their beauty. That is my first pleasure. Sharing is the second. I often try to research the places I capture. If I find a notable link to information I have found a way to have the hotlink appear while the slide show of my photos is showing. My late wife belonged to an adult marching band that traveled the world, and I developed my skills as a photographer during the 10 years I traveled with the band.
When I discovered the Neighbor of Baker’s website about a week ago, I felt as though I had found a home. I read through all of the Neighbor Stories and they each touched me in different ways. Perhaps the Covid Isolation is at work here, doesn’t matter. I’m here now and present while enjoying a silver lining that presented itself.
I think I found the location to pursue my dream of making personalize greeting cards. Many people here seem to be internet savvy, with Facebook groups already getting traffic. I’m implementing a Client-Response software from The Turning Gate which will let me work the card design remotely.
A little about my family history. Col. John England Ross was my great-great-grandfather. His sister, Adelaide R. Ross married Rufus Phelps April 1895, in Jacksonville, Oregon. They then lived in Paisley Oregon. I have many cousins I’ve never met. I am a descendant of the lost wagon train of 1853, both rescuers and rescued. Lycurgus Davis and others from the Eugene went to rescue the missing train. They had been neighbors of the Butler’s in Ohio. Elizabeth Amanda Butler (rescued) married Lycurgus Davis (rescuer) on Christmas 1861. There are Dickinson ties to Surprise Valley in California just south of the Oregon border.
I am a lifelong learner, whether hobby or formal education. I followed my family, being the third to graduate from the University of Oregon. My degree is in Recreation and Park Management. When it was time to “settle” in an area it was Florence, Oregon. I used my education to get the Activity Director’s position at the local skilled nursing facility. It was at that job that I really got to know the community, the local flavor and rich history. Then Safeway started building a new supermarket and I worked for Safeway, bought a 17 acre farm out near Canary, Oregon. I ended milking a couple of cows and selling raw milk, for a handful of years. A lot of work everyday. I pretty much ruined my back, but not my indomitable spirit!
I ended up re-educating myself in my mid-forties with degree in Computer Programming from Lane Community College and then working for Spectra-Physics in Eugene, OR, for 10 years, leading them into the internet age. During those years I was taking lots of photos, honing those skills. I was also wanting do do the creative side of the web, but my responsibilities lay in the equipment and software. My creative needs satisfied by learning to make greeting cards, I started playing with the web to understand how it worked. I came up with my philosophy of life.
Much to my delight, I have managed to reverse immigrate to perhaps the most beautiful area of Oregon. Another 42itus (fortuitous) bounce in my life, Now it is up to US to figure how to use my skills for the common good. I’m going to become more visible to my last “settling” area. I initiated the process to volunteer at Settler’s Park with my dog Greta. Spending time at Farmer’s market will also help me get acquainted. I look forward to getting to know you all and develop a sense of US and what we can do together! Oregon rules of, “No Politics or Religion”, are always wise. Another basic precept in the lives of the pioneers was the power of the group. I hope we have stories to tell each other!
Why is he here you wonder? As is often the case in a long move, there is a love interest at work! I am now ready to become involved with my new community. I love the poetry of pictures that become greeting cards. I think a reasonable plan to share my greeting card style would perhaps be the Farmer’s Market. I need to do some inquires to find more information.
What will get published.
I’m a deeply rooted Oregonian. My parents’ families both came to
Oregon in 1847 via different routes and settled in different areas.
I’ve been studying my genealogy recently. Here’s a little about my
family history. Colonel John E. Ross (1818-1890) is my 2nd great
grandfather. He was born in Ohio and came to Oregon in 1847 with a
40-wagon train. He led volunteer forces from Oregon in the Cayuse and
Modoc Wars and served in the Oregon Territorial Legislature and the
Oregon State Senate. I am a descendant of the lost wagon train of
1853, both rescuers and rescued. Most emigrants to Oregon traveled on
the Oregon Trail and settled in the Portland area. Just a few moved
south to Eugene. Some explorers tried to find a southern shortcut to
the Willamette Valley. They started from the east and traveled west
through Central Oregon. When that didn’t work, others tried to develop
a route by starting in the west and going east. They weren’t
successful either. In 1853, Lycurgus Davis and others from the Eugene
area went to rescue a missing wagon train. His family had been
neighbors of the Butlers in Ohio and Elizabeth Amanda Butler was with
the missing group. Elizabeth (rescued) married Lycurgus Davis
(rescuer) on Christmas 1861.
I grew up in Medford and spent most childhood summers with paternal
grandparents on the last of the donation land claim in Eugene. I
followed family, being the third to graduate from the University of
Oregon. My degree was in Recreation and Park Management. When it was
time to “settle” in an area it was Florence, Oregon. I used my
education to get the Activity Director’s position at the local skilled
nursing facility. It was at that job that I really got to know the
community, the local flavor and rich history. Then Safeway started
building a new supermarket and I worked for Safeway and bought a 17
acre farm out near Canary, Oregon. I sold raw milk for a handful of
years. I ended up reeducating myself in my mid-forties with a degree
in computer programming and then worked for Spectra-Physics in Eugene
for 10 years.
Why am I here in Baker County you wonder? As is often the case in a
long move, there is a love interest at work! Much to my delight, I
have managed to reverse immigrate to perhaps the most beautiful area
of Oregon. I like exploring new places and digitally capturing their
beauty. You can see some of my work on my website (rossdickinson.com).
I got here in December 2019 just before the pandemic so life in Baker
started out slowly for me, but now I am ready to get involved with my
new community. I look forward to getting to know you all and to
develop a sense of US and what we can do together!
